"Oh my heavens… that's Elder Iron of the Outer Sect!"

The name alone sent a visible ripple through the crowd.

"If this young man really crippled his disciple, then he's finished. Completely finished. Not even the heavens themselves can save him now…"

"You're right. I once heard that an ignorant outer disciple merely insulted Elder Iron's student. That was enough to anger him so badly that he wiped out the young man's entire bloodline for seven generations."

The spectators erupted into heated discussion, faces flushed with excitement and morbid anticipation. Their gazes burned with eagerness as they stared at the arena, desperate to see how this reckless youth would face Elder Iron's wrath.

This was no longer a duel.

This was an execution.

Wang Chen only frowned.

That was all.

Not a trace of panic surfaced on his face, nor did he shift his posture. Yet beneath that calm exterior, a terrifying storm churned silently.

Even the heavens will not be able to save him…

Wang Chen's lips curved almost imperceptibly.

Try me.

Anger welled in his chest, sharp and heavy, but he kept it tightly leashed. He didn't move. Not yet. With him present, nothing could truly go wrong. All he needed was the right moment.

Then—

Lin Huang finally moved.

A two-foot-long silvery blade slipped out from his sleeve, flowing into his palm as if it had always belonged there. The weapon looked simple at first glance, yet countless faint runes flickered along its surface, appearing and disappearing like fleeting thoughts.

The instant the sword revealed itself, a sharp prickling sensation stabbed into the eyes of every spectator present, as though an invisible edge was scraping against their vision.

Several people instinctively turned their heads away, hearts pounding.

"Heavens… it's that sword again…"

"That's the blade he used earlier. With it, Lin Huang defeated every opponent in a single strike."

"Is he really planning to use it against Elder Iron…? That's a Deity Transformation realm powerhouse!"

Heads shook throughout the crowd. Some scoffed, others sighed, convinced this was nothing more than a futile struggle.

No matter how monstrous his talent was, no one believed a mere Foundation Building cultivator could cross three entire realms to challenge a Deity Transformation Elder.

Not realistically.

From within the sea of onlookers, Wang Chen's eyes sharpened as he focused on the blade. A faint glimmer of approval flashed through his gaze.

He muttered softly, his voice barely audible even to himself.

"His fortune… is finally starting to show its effect."

Lin Huang's eyes turned glacial.

A killing sharpness radiated from his body, so pure and concentrated that the torrential qi crashing toward him seemed to hesitate—then split cleanly in two, sliding past him as if repelled by an invisible blade.

Not a strand of his hair was disturbed.

He didn't even spare Elder Iron a glance.

Instead, Lin Huang turned slightly and looked at Zhao Yunfei behind him. A solemn, almost gentle smile appeared on his blood-streaked face as he spoke softly:

"Yunfei, go back and contact Grandmaster. I'm afraid Master will be worried sick…"

Zhao Yunfei nearly rolled her eyes.

This idiot Master of mine…

Master, shut up. I'm not leaving you.

She understood the danger better than anyone. Retreating now was the rational choice. It was the correct choice.

But she refused.

If she left now… what if he vanished like her brother had?

That would never happen again. Never.

Her fingers tightened at her sides as a quiet determination settled into her heart. If things truly spiraled out of control—

Then I'll use it.

As her cultivation rose, fragments of foreign memories had awakened within her. Techniques. Powers. Inheritances that did not belong to this era. She hadn't told her Master about them, fearing he might think she had been possessed or corrupted.

But if the Thousand Sword Sect truly pushed them to the brink…

She would make sure every single person who stood in her Master's way paid a price they would never forget.

Lin Huang noticed the stubborn set of her expression and sighed faintly. He knew arguing further was pointless. Once Zhao Yunfei made up her mind, no one could shake it.

So he stopped worrying about her.

Slowly, deliberately, Lin Huang lifted his gaze and finally looked toward the figure floating in the sky ahead—

Elder Iron.

The air itself seemed to tighten as their eyes met.

The real battle was about to begin.

Lin Huang's demeanor changed in an instant.

Infinite killing intent erupted from his eyes—so cold, so vicious, that it felt less like human emotion and more like the judgment of a blade given form. The madness hidden beneath that gaze made Elder Iron's heart skip a beat.

For the first time, fear crept in.

Elder Iron's face flushed red with rage.

Intimidated by a mere Foundation Building trash?

If he didn't kill this brat today, his reputation would be dragged through the mud and trampled into dust.

Just as that thought flashed through his mind—

A sharp, instinctive sense of danger screamed inside his soul.

Before he could react, before he could even comprehend what was happening, his entire vision was consumed by a flash of blinding white.

A single thought surfaced, confused and detached—

Huh… why is the world flipped upside down…?

Then everything went dark.

Silence.

A suffocating, deathly silence fell over the entire battle arena.

No one dared to breathe.

No one dared to speak.

In that frozen stillness, Elder Iron's headless body crashed onto the arena floor with a dull thud, blood spraying outward like a broken seal.

"..."

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop.

Then—like a bomb finally detonating—the crowd exploded.

"Oh my heavens—he really did it!"

"He killed Elder Iron… in a single move!"

"Someone tell me this is an illusion!"

"No, brother… your eyes aren't lying. This is real. This is actually happening."

Shock, disbelief, terror—every emotion collided at once as countless gazes locked onto the bloodied figure standing calmly at the center of the arena.

Watching this scene, even Wang Chen felt his blood boil.

His lips twitched violently.

He wanted to laugh.

He wanted to point at Lin Huang and shout at the top of his lungs—

Look at this!

This is my disciple!

Only sheer willpower kept him from yelling like an idiot in the middle of the crowd.

"Okay… calm down," Wang Chen muttered to himself, forcibly steadying his breath.

His gaze sharpened once more.

Now, fully focused—

On Lin Huang.

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